Tom Felton Channels Snape's Condescending Sneer on 'The Flash'

Where Tom Felton goes, the snarky legacy of Draco Malfoy follows, but the Harry Potter actor’s role on CW’s The Flash might take more from a different famous Slytherin. It looks like the recently announced CSI Investigator Julian Dorn (Felton) will ruffle Barry Allen’s (Grant Gustin) feathers with the same kind of competent condescension perfected by the late Alan Rickman as Severus Snape.

Investigator Dorn doesn’t have any history in the comic books, which makes figuring out Felton’s full role on the show a bit of a mystery. What isn’t a mystery, however, is discovering that rather than a workplace rival, Felton plays out more like an exasperated coworker who eventually harbors some suspicions about Barry Allen’s true identity.

In a new feature for Felton’s character, viewers get a glimpse at a man whose sardonic energy is diametrically opposed to Allen’s youthful optimism. You can almost see Felton wanting to deduct 10 points from Gryffindor (let’s face it, Barry Allen would totally be a Gryffindor).

While Season 3 of The Flash deals with the fallout from the Flashpoint storyline, where Barry attempts to save his mother through time travel, Dorn’s inclusion in the cast is too mysterious to not be important. As an original character introduced in such a critical story arc, Dorn could be some kind of wolf in sheep’s clothing. That, or he’ll just keep putting up with Central City’s superpowered shenanigans with a stiff upper lip.